Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Here are two engaging activities that will strengthen students' comprehension and writing skills and will hook their interest.In the first one, Leafing Through the Story,
students build a pile of fall leaves (minimum-15)
using the elements of literature (character, plot/conflict, setting, theme,
symbol, point of view). Each element must be used at least once. On each leaf, they write
the following in black ink: the element used, the example and the page number.
When they have finished finding examples, they cut out the leaves and glue them on a
piece of construction paper so they form a pile. The leaves may
overlap, but not the writing. Below is a picture of page 2. This activity also offers complete Teacher Notes and Common Core standards.

For the second lesson, In Honor of Soldiers, Every One, students choose a book from the included list or pick one of their own. First, they read
the book, fiction or non-fiction, about American men and women who have served
the United States by fighting in any war from the Civil War to Afghanistan and
Iraq. When they are finished, they complete the following two assignments:

Prepare a
project relating your knowledge and understanding of the story. This can
follow any format. Here are a few ideas:A poster, painting, sculpture, photographic collage, video, skit,
song, book report, or project of your choice. For the latter, get your
teacher’s approval. These will be due on the date specified by the
teacher.

Write a
letter to a soldier. Here are two places to find soldiers’ names, to get
ideas about what to write and to learn how to address the letters:

Friday, October 12, 2012

As the
vibrations from the bell faded and my students settled into their seats, I
grabbed my marker and wrote Descartes’ famous quote, “I think, therefore I am”
in bold purple letters on the whiteboard. So excited about opening their minds
to the existentialist philosophy and the wonders of Albert Camus’ minimalist
writing via The Stranger, I enthusiastically scribbled important points
my seniors needed to know on the board as I rambled on…and on…and on. Stopping
for a breath, I spun around, expecting to see students avidly taking notes while
hanging on my every word. My enthusiasm for this unit had to be contagious,
right? Not!

Glazed
eyes, slumping postures and binders bereft of notes greeted my eyes. My
shoulders sagging, I glanced at the clock, astonished to see that twenty-five
minutes had flown by. Well, flown for me; not for my students. Why? I had
ignored one of the most important tenets of teaching: The Rule of
Three.

Since its
inception, the number three has been a cornerstone of most all religions, and an
integral concept in mathematics, the sciences, music and literature, to name a
few areas of its importance. Shakespeare, Dante, and Dumas used the number three
as did the writers of children’s’ stories (think: Pigs, bears and mice). Much of
grammar is based on the triad format: in the tenses: the past, the present and
the future as well as in gender categories: masculine, feminine and neuter. In
fact, all of the human experience is rendered by the formula: thought + word +
deed= human capability.

When
creating lesson plans, teachers must focus on both what to present and
how to present the information. As in many professions (acting, music,
athletics) timing is KEY. Studies show that student attention spans last about
18-20 minutes, shortening as a lecture continues to about 3-4 minutes by the end
of lesson. In order to tone up their charges’ attention spans, to keep them
actively sparking instead of fizzling into passivity, teachers must Change It
Up.

Every
lesson should include three major aspects: the lesson (presenting new concepts
while building on learned knowledge/skills), an individual activity (check
individual students’ grasp of the information) and some type of student-centered
group activity (relating, collaborating, sharing understanding of the concepts,
and their knowledge). Minor facets of every lesson should include a warm-up
activity (settle down time) and closure. The latter are not separate entities
but should be tied to the topics/concepts that center the major three portions
of the lesson.

As every
school district’s class times differ, I’ll share my thoughts for planning for a
55-minute class and for an 85-minute class since they are what I’m used to. When
dividing the lesson into time periods, though, each teacher must consider the
abilities, needs and prior knowledge of his/her students, so the times can be
raised or lowered for each component as needed.

The above
times are flexible and not cut in stone. When considering the time spent on each
portion of the lesson with strengthening mental muscle (attention spans) as the
goal, teachers must focus on their students’ needs just as all people
concentrate on which part of the body to exercise when building physical muscle.
The key is to stay active by Changing It Up…every day. For me, there will be no
more student catatonia in my classroom. I look forward to each lesson plan I
create like a favorite dessert. I’ll take thirds, please.Happy Teaching,